Telegraph apparatus.



' No. 727,060.- I I PATBNTBD MAY 5, 190s.

J. 0. BARCLAY.

TELEGRAPH APPARATUS.- APPLICATION I'ILED JAN. 19,}903.

HO MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES 1 ATTORNEYS.

No. 727,060. PATENTED MAY 5, 1903.

I. G. BARCLAY; TELEGRAPH APPARATUS. APPLICATION rmm nu. 10; 1903. 10MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES' A INVENTOR fl A WA/ fl AT ORNEYS 5 0. PHOTOLITHDV WASHXNGTON.D c

N TED STATES Patented May 5, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN C. BARCLAY, OF NEW YORK,.N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO WESTERN UNION TELEGRAPHCOMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

TELEG RAPH APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 727,060, dated May 5,1903.

Application filed January 10, 1903. Serial No. 133,451. (No model.) I

T at whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN C. BARCLAY, a citizen of the UnitedStates,residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in TelegraphApparatus; and

I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to telegraph apparatus, and resides in means forconverting direct current into alternating current for operatingquadruplex and other telegraph and :5 signaling systems employingpulsatory cur- .rents of two directions.

My invention consists in novel means for converting direct current intoalternating current, as above mentioned, and for maintain- 2o ing groundconnections for the line during the operation of the transmitters.

My invention is particularly intended for use in quadruplex-telegraphsystems, such as the well-known Roberson system, which is 2 5substantially described in Patent No. 583,418, dated May 25, 1897; but Ido not limit myself to the use of my invention in that system only.

In the said Roberson system as heretofore employed current has beensupplied to the line by alternating-current dynamos, and at each stationthere have been two transmitters having front contacts, one connected tothe positive and the other to the negative brush of the home dynamo, andhaving also back 3 5 contacts connected to brushes of a commutator-ringwhich is connected to ground, the correspondingreceivinginstrumentscomprising two line-relays, one arranged to respondto positive current pulses and the other to negative current pulses.

The use of alternating-current dynamos is undesirable for variousreasons, among which are that telegraph ofiices are not usually equippedwith alternating-current dynamos 5 of the size and frequency requiredfor such telegraph systems, whereas the larger oflices are alreadyequipped, as a rule, with directcurrent dynamos suitable for use withthe converting device hereinafter described, and

that in systems such as the Roberson it is necessary to use a separatealternating-current dynamo for each quadruplex line, thus requiring theuse of an objectionable number of small dynamos,which because of theirsmall size are inefiicient and must themselves, as a rule, be driven bysmall inefficient direct-current motors. Such installations are noteconomical in the use of current, but require an excessive amount ofpower for their opera-' tion. According to my invention, however, twodirect-current dynamos may supply current for any-desired number oflines, the number of commutator segments and brushes being increased asrequired. All of the commutator-segments may be mounted upon a singleshaft,corresponding generatorbrushes of each set being connected to thesame generators, and in this way the apparatus may be made very simple,compact, and efiicient. I

The objects of my invention are to avoid the use of alternating-currentdynamos, to supply current to any desired number of lines from a singlegenerating set, to utilize the direct-current generators now in commonuse in telegraph-offices, and to make the whole apparatus simple,efficient, and economical.

I will now proceed to describe my invention with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which the invention is illustrateddiagrammatically in connection with the circuits used in the Robersonqu'adruplex system, and will then point out the novel features inclaims.

In the said drawings, Figure 1 is a diagram showing the circuits andinstruments at one end of a quadruplex line and showing in con- 8gnection therewith my rotary converting device. Fig. 2 is a similarviewof the converting device and the parts immediately associatedtherewith, showing an alternative arrangement of brushes andcommutator-sego ments.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings and at first to Fig. 1, thesaid figure shows transmitters 1 and 2 of substantially ordinary typeconnected through differentially-wound 5 line-relays 3 and 4 with themain line 5 and artificial line 6, which latter is connected to groundand is provided with the usual condensers and resistances. Line-relays 3and 4 are of the type described in the said Rober- Ioo son patent andcontrol, respectively, sounders 7 and 8 through repeating sounders 9 and10.

Numerals 11 and 12 designate direct-current generators for supplyingcurrent to the line. These generators may be of ordinary construction.The negative brush of generator 11 and the positive brush of generator12 are connected to ground, as shown. The positive brush of generator 11and the negative brush of generator 12 are connected to brushes of theconverting apparatus now to be described. Said converting apparatus inthe form shown in Fig. 1 comprises a plurality of disks 13, 14, 15, and16, mounted upon and arranged to rotate with a rotatable shaft 17. Disk13 has commutator-segments 18, 19, and 20, of which 18 may be termed aconductive segment, being of metal and having such width that it makescontact simultaneously with both brushes,hereinafter mentioned,and soconnects the same. Segments 19 and 20 are usually formed of metal forthe sake of durability, and therefore are separate segments insulatedfrom each other and from segment 18, asshown; but,in effect, theyform asingle insulating-segment, and so far as the operation of the commutatoris concerned a single segment of insulating material might be employedin place of them. The other disks have corresponding commutator-segmentsnumbered 21 to 29, inclusive.

Two contact-brushes are provided for each disk, the said brushes beingnumbered to 37, inclusive. Brushes 30 and 33 are connected,respectively, to the front contactstops of transmitters 1 and 2 throughconductors 38 and 39. Brushes 31 and 32 are connected, respectively, tothe positive brush of generator 11 and the negative brush of generator12 through conductors 40 and 41. Brushes 34 and 36 are connect-ed to thebackstops of transmitters 1 and 2, respectively, through conductors 42and 43. Brushes and 37 are connected to ground through conductors 44 and45.

Since segments 18 and 24 occupy corre sponding angular positions, as dosegments 19 20 and 25 26, the front and rear contactstops of transmitter1 are connected to the generator and to ground, respectively, at thesame time. The same is true with respect to the segments ofdisks 14 and16 and the contact-stops of transmitter 2; but since segments 21 and 27occupy angular positions opposite segments 18 and 24 transmitter 1 isdisconnected from its generator and from ground when transmitter 2 isconnected to its generator and to ground, and vice versa. It will beseen, therefore, that the depression of the key 46 of transmitter 1 willcause a succession of positive current pulses to be transmitted throughthe line, that the depression of the key 47 of transmitter 2 will causethe transmission of a succession of negativepulses through the line, andthat the simultaneous depression of both keys will cause thetransmission of a succession of alternately positive and negative pulsesthrough the line. When neither key is depressed, the line is connectedto ground alternately through the rear contact of transmitter 2, Wire43, brushes 36 and 37, and wire 45 and through the rear contact oftransmitter 1, wire 42, brushes 34 and 35, and Wires 44 and 45. YVheneither key is depressed and the armature of the correspondingtransmitter attracted, ground connection is obtained through the frontcontact of that transmitter and the corresponding brushes and generatorinstead of through the rear contact. If both keys be depressedsimultaneously, then the line is connected to ground alternately throughthe two generators.

' Wires and 41 include resistances 48 and 49, which are used to preventsparking at the brushes of the generators. In the ground connectionthere is a similar resistance 50 employed to make the line resistancethe same whether the line be connected to ground through the front orthe rear contacts of the transmitters. The resistance of the armaturesof the generators is so small that it is negligible.

Transmitters 1 and 2 are shown as provided with shunt connections 51 and52, respectively, connecting their armatures with their respective frontcontact-wires 38 and 39, and these shunt connections compriseresistances 54 and 55 and condensers 56 and 57, all as is customary inthe Roberson system.

In Fig. l I have shown the commutator arranged to supply current to onlyone line from the generators 11 and 12; but itis obvious that the set ofcommutator-segments may be duplicated on shaft 17 as many times asdesired and corresponding brushes and connections employed forsupplyingcurrent from the same generators to other lines and for connecting suchother lines to ground.

By placing the ground-line brushes on the side of the commutatoropposite the generator-brushes the number of commutator-segments may bereduced by one-half. This is illustrated in Fig. 2, in which theground-line brushes 36 and 37, corresponding to transmitter 2,are placedopposite brushes 30 and 31, corresponding to transmitter 1, and brushes34 and 35, corresponding to transmitter 1, are placed opposite brushes32 and 33 of transmitter 2. The operation is the same as that of thearrangement shown in Fig. 1.

It is obvious that the commutator may be constructed in various ways andvarious arrangements of segments and brushes employed, and I do notlimit myself to any particular construction or arrangement of the arts.

What I claim is 1. In a telegraph system, the combination of a lineconductor, two transmitters connected therewith having each twocontacts, one of which is closed when the other is open, twodirect-current generators, one for each of said transmitters,havingopposite poles connected to ground, and commutating means connected toboth contacts of each transmitter, to both generators, and to ground,arranged to connect one contact of each transmitter to its respectivegenerator and the other contact to ground, at intervals, and to soconnect the contacts of the two transmitters in alternation.

2. In a telegraph system, the combination of a line conductor, twotransmitters connected therewith having each two contacts, one of whichis closed when the other is open, two direct-current generators, one foreach of said transmitters, having opposite poles connected to ground,and commutating means comprising two sets of similar butoppositely-timed contacts, one set for each transmitter, each setcomprising means for connecting one contact of its respectivetransmitter to the corresponding generator, at intervals, and forsimultaneously connecting the opposite contact of that transmitter toground.

3. In a telegraph system, the combination of a line conductor, twotransmitters connected therewith having each two contacts, one of whichis closed when the other is open, two direct-current generators, one foreach of said transmitters, having opposite poles connected to ground,and commutating means comprising conductive and insulatingcommutator-segments and two sets of commutatorbrushes, one for eachtransmitter, each set comprising brushes connected to both contacts ofthe corresponding transmitter, to the corresponding generator, and toground, the brushes and commutator-segments relatively positioned andarranged to connect the contacts of one transmitter to the generator andto ground in alternation with the correspond- 4. In a telegraph system,the combination with a line conductor, "two transmitters connectedtherewith having each tWo contacts,

one of which is closed when the other is open, and twodirect-currentgenerators, one for each of said transmitters, having opposite polesconnected to ground, of a current-reversin g comm utator having fourcommutatorbrushes for each transmitter, arranged in pairs, one brush ofeach pair connected to one of the contacts of the transmitter, thesecond brush of one pair connected to the correspond ing generator, thesecond brush of theother pair connected to ground; said commutatorhaving also conductive and insulating commutator-segments, the segmentsand said brushes being relatively positioned and arranged to connect thecontacts of one trans.- mitter to the generator and to ground inalternation with the corresponding contacts of the other transmitter.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of twoWitnesses; 7

JOHN C. BARCLAY.

Witnesses:

G.- R. BENJAMIN, HARRY M. MARBLE.

